[Advaita-l] Pāramārthika and Vyāvahārika - Viṣṇu purāṇam

[V Subrahmanian]

Pāramārthika and Vyāvahārika - Viṣṇu purāṇam

In the Vishnu Puranam is a dialogue that ends with the statement of
Brahmavidya:

तद्भावभावमापन्नस्ततोऽसौ परमात्मना  ।

भवत्यभेदी भेदश्च तस्याज्ञानकृतो भवेत् ॥ ६,७.९५ ॥

विभेदजनके ज्ञाने नाशमात्यन्तिकं गते  ।

आत्मनो ब्रह्मणो भेदमसंतं कः करीष्यति  ॥ ६,७.९६ ॥

इत्युक्तस्ते मया योगः खाण्डिक्य परिपृच्छतः  ।

संक्षेपविस्तराभ्यां तु किमन्यत्क्रियतां तव  ॥ ६,७.९७ ॥

खाण्डिक्य उवाच

कथिते योगसद्भावे सर्वमेव कृतं मम  ।

तवोपदेशेनाशेषो नष्टश्चित्तमलो यतः  ॥ ६,७.९८ ॥

ममेति यन्मया चोक्तमसदेतन्न चान्यथा  ।

नरेद्र गदितुं शक्यमपि विज्ञेयवेदिभिः  ॥ ६,७.९९ ॥

*अहं ममेत्यविद्येयं व्यवहारस्तथानयोः  *।

*परमार्थस्त्वसंलाप्यो गोचरो वचसां न सः*  ॥ ६,७.१०० ॥

तद्गच्छ श्रेयसे सर्वं ममैतद्भवता कृतम्  ।

यद्विमुक्तिप्रदो योगः प्रोक्तः केशिध्वजाव्ययः  ॥ ६,७.१०१ ॥


The ending verses say that the division 'aham, mama' is avidya and all
vyavahaara is avidyaa as well. However, the Paramaartha is simply silence,
with no dialogue whatsoever, being not within the purview of words.  This
idea of the two realities, vyavahara where all parlance of I and mine are
possible, as based on avidya and the paramartha as the one that transcends
that avidya and therefore no vyavahara is well laid out in the Vedanta; the
Vishnu Purana being a fine instance.


However, Madhvacharya in his 'Tattvodyota', a prakarana work, has cited a
few verses from a Buddhist work in order to show that Advaita is
non-different from the same:

https://adbhutam.wordpress.com/2011/05/14/buddhism-advaita-and-dvaita-1/


सत्यं तु द्विविधं प्रोक्तं सांवृतं पारमार्थिकम् ।
सांवृतं व्यवहार्यं स्यान्निवृत्तौ पारमार्थिकम् ॥१
विचार्यमाणे नोऽसत्त्वं सत्त्वं चापि प्रतीयते ।
यस्य तत्सांवृतं तत्स्यात् व्यवहारपदं च यत् ॥ २
निर्विशेषं स्वयंभातं निर्लेपमजरामरम् ।
शून्यं तत्त्वमविज्ञेयं मनोवाचामगोचरम् ॥ ३


We find that the idea of vyavahara-paramartha in the Vishnu Purana an
instance of the concept being already well available in the Vedanta and
related scriptures. Sridhara Swamin's commentary to the cited VP verses too
bring out the Vedantic view of avidya, its annihilation through vidya and
the continuance of the baadhita avidya for some time, etc.

Also to be noted is the Ramanuja, Vedanta Desika, the Padma Purana, etc.
criticism of Shankara/Advaita as pracchanna bauddha/m also is met with the
VP among other sources.


Om Tat Sat